Universal Drops McG's Ouija Adaptation

08.25.11 by BJSprecher

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In yet another example of studio belt-tightening in our currently depressed economic climate, Universal has put Ouija, a planned big screen adaptation of the Hasbro board game that lets players "talk to the dead" that had McG (Terminator Salvation) attached to direct, into turnaround. Other Universal game adaptations that have also gotten the axe include Clue, Monopoly and Magic: The Gathering. Universal also recently put the brakes on Ron Howard's plans to adapt Stephen King's "magnum opus," The Dark Tower, because of the estimated budget. Unlike The Dark Tower, which could still happen at Universal if the project's price tag comes down (considerably), Ouija is dead for good at the studio, which opted to pay a $5 million penalty to Hasbro rather than continue to pursue it as a viable movie property.

Though Universal has washed its hands of Ouija, Vulture reports that McG and Michael Bay, who is producing the movie through his Platinum Dunes production company, are not giving up on the project. Paramount Pictures, with whom Bay has a good working relationship because of the success of the Transformers franchise — another Hasbro property — has apparently already taken a pass on Ouija, but McG and Bay are scheduling meetings "with other studios next week to drum up interest." The script of the movie was written by Tron: Legacy screenwriters Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. The movie is described as a "supernatural adventure centering around a family" that is aimed at an all-ages audience.